St. Catharines residents are reporting mangled and missing pets, but the Ministry of Natural Resources says coyotes might not be the culprits.

North St. Catharines resident Paul Molnar said his aunt and uncle's dog was let out for its nightly business recently in the area of Linwell and Geneva streets, but it never came home.

All they found were its bloodied remains, he said.

Molnar said the humane society, which disposed of the pet, suspected a coyote attack.

Gord Chamberlain of Toronto said his daughter, who lives in the Ker St. area of Merritton, thinks she may have lost her cat to a coyote.

"She found fur, blood and cat claws on her property about a week ago," Chamberlain wrote in an e-mail. He said he's worried this could be evidence of coyotes.

"I am writing so that you can alert pet owners," Chamberlain said.

But Joad Durst, of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said coyotes typically eat every bit of their prey, or bury the remains.

He said reports of partial carcasses might point to the work of weasels, which could also be living in natural areas in the city.

But Merritton Coun. Jennie Stevens said there seem to be more missing pet posters in her ward, and residents suspect the cats and small dogs that have vanished are victims of coyotes, which are frequently spotted in her ward.

Stevens said she thinks the city should still consider doing something.

City clerk Dan Carnegie told councillors coyotes are becoming comfortable co-existing with humans and the only thing to do is learn how to properly protect pets and property. His report included tips on how to avoid encounters and how to coyote-proof your yard.

But condominium dweller Marian Walsh said she doesn't have the option of fencing a yard, and she's frightened to walk her miniature schnauzer, Chrissy.

"I must walk in an open field," Walsh said. "I carry a whistle, a flashlight, and keep the dog on a short leash. I have been terrified of coyotes for years."

Walsh said from her condo, she regularly sees coyotes in the ravines around her Towering Heights neighbourhood, and lately she's been seeing more.

"As long as they have no natural enemies they will become more populous," she said, adding that she can hear them howling at night.

Stevens said she still thinks the city should try rounding them up and moving them across the canal, but Durst said that's not possible.

He said you can't move them more than a kilometre from where they were captured, and you can't release them onto someone else's property.

Durst said the Fish and Wildlife Act permits people to kill coyotes, but it's illegal to discharge a firearm in the city, and it's illegal to poison them.

Walsh said she has heard of one municipality that organized a cull, encouraging people to kill coyotes.

Stevens said the city should be willing to spend money to deal with the coyotes.

"For the safety of people and small animals, to feel safe in their own neighbourhoods, if we have to spend money I would," she said.

Stevens said she intends to bring the matter up at the next city council meeting.